The Castle Gates, Merchiston Castle School, Colinton Road, Edinburgh

Dick Peddie & Walker Todd, 1929. 2-storey, 5-bay L-plan, piend-roofed classical astylar house with pedimented front door and 2-storey service wing advanced to NW. Harled with ashlar dressings. Basecourse, cill course at 1st floor, eaves course. Windows with projecting ashlar cills.

NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: long flight of paved steps with low coped edges leading to central entrance. 2-leaf timber panelled door in roll-moulded architrave with bracketed semi-circular pediment above. Regular fenestration with paired windows to outer bays. Irregularly fenestrated wing advanced to outer right.

SE ELEVATION: 2 bays. Canted window at ground to left; bipartite window at ground to right; regular fenestration above.

SW (REAR) ELEVATION: half-glazed timber panelled French doors to centre in roll-moulded architrave; blind tablet above with projecting cornice supported on scrolled brackets. Regular fenestration in 5 bays. Irregularly fenestrated service wing recessed to outer left.

NW ELEVATION: irregularly fenestrated with half-glazed timber door at ground to right in plain ashlar surround; 3 piend-roofed dormers breaking eaves at 1st-floor.

8 and 9-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows to most elevations. Some 4-pane timber casement windows to NW wing. Piended grey slate roof with stone ridge tiles. Modern ventilation pipes to roof. Buff painted cast-iron rainwater goods with enclosed guttering. Tall harled stacks with projecting ashlar cornices and paired brown cans.

INTERIOR: half-glazed timber panelled inner door to entrance lobby. Rest of house not inspected, but appears to retain original features.